History

Our firm’s growth is a direct result of the willingness to embrace change and the desire to build partnerships to achieve common goals.

Founded in 1955 as American Transportation Enterprises, First Transit has had several acquisitions and name iterations. In 1999, the firm was acquired by FirstGroup, plc, our UK-based parent company, and became First Transit (350 contracts and more than 12,500 transit vehicles across North America).

FirstGroup is the largest international surface transportation group in the world – with strengths across all five divisions. Sister companies include First Student (47,000 school buses in North America), First Vehicle Services (maintains nearly 35,000 vehicles in North America), Greyhound (18 million passengers annually), First Bus (1/5 of all local bus service in the UK), and First Rail (the UK’s most experienced rail operator).Our name has changed periodically, but our forward-thinking corporate culture of developing our people, leveraging our expertise, and sharing our best practices has always been—and continues to be—steadfast.With a long and proud tradition in the world of public transportation, First Transit stands behind our promise of superior level of service, performance, and support that is second to none in our industry.